


Live Long And Prosper

by princessminty



Category: Actor RPF, Benedict Cumberbatch- Fandom, British Actor RPF
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Los Angeles, Romance, Star Trek: Into Darkness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-11
Updated: 2014-02-01
Packaged: 2017-12-11 14:18:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/799667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessminty/pseuds/princessminty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anna Williams never would have dared to dream of landing a job at Paramount Studios. Sure, she was merely an on set assistant, but this kind of thing never happened to her. She flew out to L.A to commence filming, knowing the barest minimum of information surrounding the job. She didn't know what film the job was for, nor who precisely she would be assisting.</p><p>When the truth was revealed, she was pleasantly surprised by the answer to both.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Landing in LA.

**Author's Note:**

> None of this belongs to me (apart from the plot)
> 
> Where real people are mentioned, I am merely speculating as to what they are like in real life.  
> A work of pure fiction.

Flying into LAX, Anna was starting to feel a little apprehensive. This new job was going to be demanding. Before she got the phone call from Paramount Pictures, she never would have believed it possible. Her dream was finally becoming reality. Production running was the first step towards becoming a producer. Hopefully this would be an opportunity to make connections in an industry where it was all about building relationships. The old saying, it's not what you know, it's who you know. Sums up the movie industry.

As soon she exited the plane, she was hit by the warmth of the Californian sun. It was such a refreshing change from her hometown of cold, dreary London. To tell you the truth, the location itself excited her as much as the job opportunity, the allure of Hollywood was too strong to resist. As she queued through arrivals and made it to the baggage carrousel she smiled to herself, this was sure going to be an adventure. As she waited for her luggage to come around on the conveyor belt she immediately regretted how much luggage she had brought. When it came to hauling the three huge trunks from the conveyor belt she felt like explaining to the people staring that she was going to be here for a long time. Blockbuster movies aren't shot in a day after all! 

She surveyed the sea of people waiting at the arrivals gate and sure enough spotted a tall, suntanned man holding a plaque with her name. Anna Williams. He was clearly the guy from Paramount Pictures, sent to drive her to the studios that would be her home for the coming months. It could take some getting used to, living in a trailer on a Studio Lot, but it would be an experience for sure. Having spoken to several people who had worked on films, none had ever heard of an assistant living in the studios alongside the actors, it was apparently unusual. Assistants were usually sent to live together in apartments or cheap hotels. One thing was for sure, whoever was behind this movie liked to do things differently. Anna had taken the job on the premise that she was not to be told who she would be working for. Her friends and family thought she was stupid for accepting but Anna was just pleased to finally be given the opportunity to work on films. 

The Toyota Prius the man had waiting for her was stereotypically Californian, of course the studios wanted to embrace the "Green" ethos of the state and show how much they cared for the environment. Anna rolled her eyes, the big companies always pulled this kind of thing. Unfortunately for Anna, they hadn't thought about how little room there was in the boot. The driver had to cram her luggage in, taking over both the boot and the back seat. As Anna sat down in the passenger seat she started to feel guilty. Perhaps she didn't need to bring those twelve bikinis?

The drive from the airport to the studios was fairly uneventful nevertheless interesting. Surrounded by luggage, Anna peeked over the top of her tote bag and spied many, many palm trees. She could not wait to explore Los Angeles. Making idle chitchat with her driver, Anna interrogated him about the job she would be doing. She'd been told the barest minimum details and was frustrated that she knew so little. Her questioning was in vain however as he claimed that he didn't know what movie she would be working on and went on to say that even if he knew, he would not tell her. The rest of the journey passed in silence, Anna enthralled by the scenery.

Half an hour later they pulled up outside the iconic archway entrance to Paramount Pictures. It was even more impressive in real life. As security waved the car through the gates Anna felt the gravitas of the moment. She was about to embark on her first ever movie. Production runner may not be the most prestigious of titles but it would surely be a rock-solid start to her career. Having previously assisted actors in the West End, she was used to working with famous people but this... This was a whole different ballgame. Hollywood.

The car finally came to a stop outside a small, retro, silver trailer with a stripy awning that jutted out over a small wooden deck. The driver helped Anna out of the car and fetched her luggage inside. She thanked him as he left and relished in her new position. She was astounded as she stepped into the trailer for her first look around. It may have been small but it was simply exquisite. The living area was mostly taken up by two large light gray sofas that surrounded a light wood table. Having tested out the sofas (perhaps more comfortable than those she had left behind at home) Anna took a proper look at the kitchenette. Light gray with light wood counters, it matched the table perfectly. The refrigerator was huge, and after opening it, she was pleasantly surprised to find it fully stocked. 

Making her way past the kitchenette Anna opened the first door on the left. It was a relatively roomy closet that put her overpacking fears to rest. The next door revealed a compact but well fitted bathroom, complete with fluffy, white hotel robe. Finally Anna reached the door at the end of the short corridor. Opening it, her breath was taken away. The bed was sumptuous, covered in bright white linens and throw pillows galore. A beautiful vase of pink peonies was placed on the nightstand. Anna's mouth was gaping open at the cushiness of it all. When she'd taken the job she had presumed she'd be put up in some cheap and cheerful motel. This little trailer was heaven!

Turning her back on the bedroom, she wandered back to the lounge, noticing a piece of paper sitting on the table. Picking it up she saw it was a note to her:

_Hey Anna, Welcome to LA. I'm thrilled to have you assist with this project. Let's hope it's the first of many! Get a good nights sleep and come down to my office tomorrow morning, we'll be explaining everything. Jeffrey Abrams._

Anna re-read the note, wondering who Jeffrey Abrams was, and wondering where on earth his office could be? The only 'Abrams' Anna could think of was J.J Abrams, but she had never heard of him being called Jeffrey, although J.J had to be short for something... Pondering this for a moment she realised that she could just ask the security man at the front gate tomorrow morning for directions to this guy's office since it was starting to get late. The other odd thing she noticed was that this he hadn't written a specific time. She couldn't help but think they seemed extraordinarily laid back round here. They seemed to float through life, savouring every moment and most importantly, having fun. So different from London...

As evening drew in, Anna began to unpack, thankful that everything fitted in the closet and in the under bed storage. Unfortunately it was then that she realised she had no idea where to put the three empty suitcases. Leaving them temporarily in the living area (they could be sorted tomorrow), she got ready for bed. Not feeling sleepy, thanks to the jet lag, she struggled to get to sleep. This, alongside the mystery of the note kept her awake for sometime. Anna eventually got to sleep at two o'clock in the morning and woke up a short while after. She stared at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was only half past six. After lying there, still thinking about the note, she got up and wandered into her little kitchen to see what might be good for breakfast. After a quick shower and a slightly lonely breakfast of her favourite cereal (how did they know?) she decided to go out for a walk around the studios. She would ask the security guard where to go for this meeting.

Leaving her trailer, Anna noticed just how warm it was for quarter to eight in the morning, it was divine. The studios themselves were just starting to come to life, with a few people milling about on their way to work on the various sets spread out around the place. Finally reaching the security guards post Anna found him talking to another studio services worker. Feeling bad about interrupting she almost went away, planning to come back later. Fortunately his colleague bid goodbye and the security guard turned to Anna. "Morning miss, can I help you with something?"

"Yes actually! Could you please take a look at this note left in my trailer? I have no idea who it's from, but they've set up a meeting for this morning and I have no idea where to go!"

He raised an eyebrow as she passed him the note, then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked, perplexed by his sudden outburst.

"It's the director, J.J Abrams. Typical of him to put no time or place."

"What? As in J.J Abrams who directed Lost and Star Trek?" Anna looked incredulously at him. She had been right to make that connection last night, even in her crazed, jet-lagged state.

"Yep the very one. His office is in the South Corner of the studios. I'll get you a map and show you exactly where."

He disappeared off into his post and returned a short while later with a map. He'd drawn on it in Sharpie marker, a little dotted trail and an X marking the spot.

"Thank you so so much!"

"You're welcome, have a good day miss."

"You too!"

Anna walked back towards her trailer, if it is THE J.J Abrams then she decided that she should probably put some better clothes on. Daisy dukes would not impress and as it was only 8 o'clock she had time to change into something more professional.


	2. Call me J.J.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anna walked back towards her trailer, if it is THE J.J Abrams then she decided that she should probably put some better clothes on. Daisy dukes would not impress and as it was only 8 o'clock she had time to change into something more professional.

Heading back to her trailer, Anna could not believe that it was J.J Abrams who wrote the note. She had been a fan of his work for so long, Armageddon, Lost, Heroes, even his Star Trek remake was brilliant. And he had left her a note, handwritten personally by him! Panicking about what to wear, she slipped on a pair of black skinny jeans, a white tee and a black leather biker jacket. Casual but smart since she had no idea how things were run around there. Once she had met the boss she would have more of an idea of what to wear and what exactly was expected of her. 

At precisely half past eight, Anna took a deep breath and left the comfort of her trailer, following the map the security guard gave her. It turned out to be only a short walk to where she had to be. As you entered the building she was bombarded by the sheer volume of interesting artefacts spread around. Vintage memorabilia all around she didn't know where to look first. Trying not to get distracted, she reached a desk manned by a very tanned man with gleaming white teeth.

Feeling nervous she walked up to the desk and introduced herself "Good morning. I was told to come here this morning for a chat with a Jeffrey Abrams. I'm the new production assistant, Anna Williams." 

"Oh yes of course, he'll be with you shortly, he's been in a meeting for a while now, shouldn't be much longer. Take a seat while you wait. Is there anything I can get you? Coffee, tea?"

"I'm fine thank you." Anna smiled and went to take a seat on a cushy low sofa. Taking in her surroundings she noticed that the waiting area had a cosy feel, as if she were sitting in someone's living room. The large coffee table caught her eye, stacked with piles of paper and pens, it was reminiscent of the play areas children are often given to entertain themselves. It seemed as though every guest in this waiting room was invited to draw a picture. They were all up on the wall in the far corner, displayed proudly like priceless pieces of art. Even though Anna knew that her name would not stand out alongside the superstars on the wall, she couldn't help herself. Picking up a black marker she got doodling. She was so engrossed in her 'art' that she barely noticed the desk assistant signalling that it was her turn to enter. Somewhat reluctantly Anna pulled herself away from the unfinished drawing and headed over to a door, labelled Jeffrey Abrams.

Trying to calm herself down, she entered the room coming face to face with THE J.J Abrams. 

"Hey there Anna! So you're my new production assistant!" she was slightly taken aback as J.J Abrams, Jeffrey, Mr Abrams, (What would he prefer to be called?) came over and greeted her with a warm handshake.

"Yep, at your service Mr Abrams." she smiled, praying she'd gone for the right option.

"Don't be silly, call me J.J" he looked somewhat amused by her formality.

"So J.J" Anna continued, now rather hesitantly, feeling slightly shy, "Why am I here?"

"Well, we're due to start filming the sequel to my version of Star Trek in about two weeks. I'd heard good things about you from some friends of mine, and I need an extra assistant."

"The sequel to Star Trek?" she was overwhelmed, she had heard that he would be directing it, but she never would have thought he would want her on board for the filming. "That's awesome!" Even as Anna berated yourself for sounding like a kid in a sweetshop, she could barely suppress the grin.

"Yeah, it's a huge production to undertake. I'm going to need all the help I can get. I was thinking that since you're new, you could assist a new cast member?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Perfect. Any questions?"

"Um...." she paused before answering "Actually I do have one question. You signed your letter Jeffrey? I didn't put two and two together until this morning. How come you signed off with a different name?"

He laughed, "Well, I wanted to retain an air of mystery." he grinned, "Just kidding, I always sign off as Jeffrey, even though I hate it, it is my legal name, force of habit I suppose."

"Makes sense." she nodded, "So when do I start work?"

"Well, tonight you'll get to meet some of the crew, they're having a barbecue in one of the backlots. They asked me to invite all new recruits."

"That sounds fun, what time is that?"

"Seven, just in time for dinner. Oh also, before I forget, can you come down and meet the guy you'll be assisting on set. Tomorrow we're having lunch, and I'd love for you to join us."

"Sure, it'll be good to meet him."

"I'm sure you'll get along like a house on fire, he's a lovely guy."

"That's somewhat reassuring!"

He winked at you "So meet us here tomorrow at twelve okay?"

"Got ya, see you tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow. Nice to meet you, it's great to have some fresh talent on board, it'll shake things up."

"Pleasure meeting you, J.J." Anna beamed as she left the office, this job was going to amazing.

A few hours had passed after her meeting with J.J and Anna had finally caught up on sleep (trying to rid herself of jet lag) and was now lounging around in her little trailer, nervously but excitedly waiting for seven o'clock. After what seemed like years, the time came for her to step out and meet the people she would be working with over the next few months. Despite the fact that it was evening, there was still a warm breeze, perfect barbecue weather.

Anna approached the back lot tentatively. There were lots of people already there, and they more than likely all knew each other. She would be an outsider to start with. Stepping towards the group, she was unsure of where to go first. There were about twenty people, mostly guys, spread out over a few picnic benches with a beer in one hand and a burger in the other. Deciding the best option would be to grab a beer and sit down, Anna strolled over to the cooler and grabbed a bottle.

"So you're the new girl?" a tall guy with long, chestnut hair approached her, looking her up and down appreciatively.

"Yep, that's me." Anna replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable from the sudden attention.

"Tom." the man held out his hand with a warm smile. Becoming more confident she shook his hand as he welcomed her to California, his warm, brown eyes crinkling in the sun. Soon enough Anna was surrounded by several other production assistants who had been given roles similar to her.

It soon emerged that Tom was a Californian native, who knew the ins and out of the area like no other. He was not much older than Anna but had been assisting on sets for far longer, having dropped out of school. He had a passion for surfing and promised to take her one day if they had any free time. Already feeling at home, Anna could not wait to take him up on his offer. Never having been to California before there was so much that she wanted to do. A surfing lesson with a real life Californian surfer would be wonderful, an unforgettable experience.

The other assistants were equally as interesting. Seb, a fellow Londoner, was more reserved like Anna, but seemed to warm up as the evening went on. He seemed artsy, with sparkly blue eyes, artfully coiffed hair and a manicured beard. Anna could not help but wonder how he fitted in with these all-American boys? He seemed like a nice guy though, and the two couldn't help but bond with each other while the others teased them for drinking tea all day long and keeping corgis as pets.

The third person in the trio Anna would be working with closely was Jake. A dark, freckly Welshman, with an abundant mop of curly hair. He seemed to be the most experienced of the three, having worked in the industry for years. He told Anna that he was only taking this job because he was good friends with J.J. He would be acting as the 'head' production runner, keeping everyone in check and ensuring that no one bothered J.J with trivial matters, not that J.J would mind, he just would not have time.

Having been introduced to almost everyone Anna could barely hide her fatigue. Practically yawning into Tom's face, he noticed how tired she looked.

"Come on, I"ll walk you back home." he said kindly.

"That would be nice, thanks." she smiled back at him.


	3. That Benedict Is Rather Pretty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having been introduced to almost everyone Anna could barely hide her fatigue. Practically yawning into Tom's face, he noticed how tired she looked.
> 
> "Come on, I"ll walk you back home." he said kindly.
> 
> "That would be nice, thanks." she smiled back at him.

The next morning Anna woke up feeling groggy, she was out later than she had originally expected. Looking at the clock on her bedside cabinet she saw that it was already half past eight, meaning she only had half an hour to get to J.J's office to fill out the paperwork he needed her to complete before she started work. Reluctantly rolling out of bed she got up and got dressed, inwardly moaning that she did not have enough time for a shower. Pulling her long, dark hair up into a ponytail, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She looked terrible with big, black rings under her eyes. She hoped J.J wouldn't expect his assistants to be movie star perfect all the time... Besides, she still had plenty of time to gather herself together in preparation for lunch with the cast.

As Anna left the trailer she slipped on some mirrored Ray-Bans, the ultimate cover up for tired eyes. Smiling to herself at the sunny weather she could not help but be in a good mood as she strolled towards J.Js office. It was reassuring that on the way she bumped into several people she had last night, offering friendly greetings and waves. Anna Williams was starting to settle in.

Finally reaching J.Js office, she set about filling in all of the paperwork and contracts he needed her to sign before she could officially start this job. Just as she was signing the last dotted line she caught sight of a tall, imposing man walking through reception. Glancing through the glass panel of the office door she got a better look at him. He had somewhat unusual but nevertheless attractive features, prominent lips and high cheekbones and she could barely tear her eyes away. Realising that she was now staring, Anna finished up her paperwork, bundling everything into an envelope. Saying her goodbye to J.J she got up and went to leave the office, opening the door to come to face to face with the very man she had been watching earlier. He smiled and stepped aside, waving her through the door. His smile lit up his face, crinkling his eyes in a most endearing way. He looked vaguely familiar to Anna but she could not place where she had seen him before. Perhaps at last night's barbecue?

Stepping out of the building, Anna was excited but nervous to meet the guy she would be assisting throughout the production. She hoped that he wouldn't be too demanding, she had heard plenty of stories about crazy on-set shenanigans where assistants had been treated pretty badly. Then there was the other end of the spectrum. What if he was overly friendly? Some famous actors had reputations within the industry of being creeps. She shuddered. Hopefully it would be fine and she would not have to deal with either. J.J had said he was a nice guy after all. He wouldn't have lied, would he?

Eventually lunchtime swung around, and Anna made her way to the garden where the lunch was being held. Having used the last hour to beautify herself (or at least attempt to hide the dark circles), she felt much better, and prayed that she would make a good impression in her smart white shift dress. The gorgeous weather has already made it's mark on her skin, and she was happy to see that she had tanned considerably in such a short space of time.

When she reached the garden, she could not help but be impressed. It was beautiful, filled with pink and white flowers complimenting the stripy green lawn. There was a large table laid out with the most delicious looking food she had ever seen. Vast platters, full to the brim with all her favourite food. Noticing the group of her fellow assistants lingering to the side of the buffet, she headed over to join them.

Tom, Seb and Jake, the trio of assistants greeted Anna warmly, despite having just met, and she was immediately put at ease.

"Hey there!" she heard a voice in the distance and turned around to see J.J walking over to the small group.

"Hey!" The four of them replied in unison.

"So I believe there's some introductions in order. If you want to follow me, you can find out who you'll be working with."

Obediently following him, she felt like a group of school kids being led by a teacher. J.J finally stopped in front of a small group of men, chatting away enthusiastically. Interrupting them he gestured towards Anna and the boys "Hey, guys I have some people you've been wanting to meet."

The group all turned to face them. Anna's eyes widened as she recognised two of them from the last Star Trek movie. It was Captain Kirk and Mr Spock! She was even more surprised to recognise the third man as the one she couldn't help but notice earlier that morning. J.J introduced them as Chris, Zachary and Benedict, although she had no clue which was which. J.J proceeded to introduce the four of them to the men and Anna met the man from the office's eye. He smiled at her and winked, he was certainly charming!

"So, I've been doing some thinking and I thought it would be good to let you keep your assistants from last time, Chris and Zach. Is that okay?"

The two men on the left nodded, leaving Anna to deduce the man who smiled at her must have been Benedict. Slow on the uptake, she was more than surprised when J.J added "So, you'll be assisting Benedict, since you're both new to this."

Anna managed to hide her surprise by formally introducing herself, offering her hand to Benedict, he took it, smiling. She was slightly taken aback by his strong, vice-like grip. His hands really were huge! Alas, before she had time to fully appreciate this fact he had let go.

"So we're both new here?" he asked her, his voice a smooth, rich baritone.

"Yep. I haven't even worked outside of the UK."

He raised an eyebrow and she hoped he was not feeling sceptical about her assisting abilities. "Whereabouts are you from?"

"London. How about you?"

"London's a big place." he smirked before adding, "I grew up in Kensington."

"Nice." she nodded, somewhat awkwardly. "I'm a Chelsea girl. Not far."

"Indeed."

Anna had no idea what to say next, his intense gaze making her nervous. He never seemed to blink and looked perpetually curious. 

"So are you a big Star Trek fan?" he asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Er..." Trying to be tactful she replied, "Well I liked the first film, I don't really know about the original series."

Benedict mimed horror and then leant in towards her, lowering his voice, "Don't tell the others, they gave me so much shit when I admitted I never watched the series."

Anna was taken aback by the sudden closeness, his deep voice rumbling into her ear. Disappointed when he straightened up and took a step back, she admitted "Well I'm glad I'm not the only one."

He laughed a little, a growl almost, "Well, nice to meet you. I'm sure I'll be seeing you a whole lot more during the coming weeks."

"Yeah, lovely to meet you too. See you tomorrow I guess."

She turned somewhat awkwardly and wandered back to her friends. Things were going to be interesting during this job, she could see it already. She barely registered his "Goodbye Anna." drowned out by the surrounding chatter.

Rejoining the group of assistants she came with, Tom, Seb and Jake, Anna was eager to find out more about the film they were going to be working on. 

"Hey, there's my girl!" Tom was smiling and allowed room for her to rejoin their little circle. "So, what did you think of Benedict? He seems like a nice guy."

"Yeah, I said about two words to him, but he seemed pleasant enough." she smiled adding, "Although he seemed a bit shocked when I mentioned I'd never worked abroad before..."

The three men groaned in unison with Jake piping up "You never tell people of your inexperience! First rule of assisting. Blag everything. Tell them you assisted Jack Nicholson if you have to. You need to allow them to have total confidence."

"Oh..." she responded lamely, "Well now I know." Laughing, she shifted the the conversation away from her lack of people skills and onto more interesting territory. "So, you two," she said, gesturing at Seb and Tom, "Who assists who? J.J didn't say."

"Guess!" said Tom, with a cheeky glint in his eye.

"Ummm." At a loss, she took a wild stab, "You assist Chris?"

"Correct. Captain Kirk himself."

"Cool, is he nice?"

"Yeah, we get along well, guess that's why J.J suggested we stay working together for a second time. We go surf at weekends, it's cool."

"Wow, that's unusual to get along so well with the boss, lucky. How bout you Seb?"

The other two men burst out laughing at her comments. "What?" she said indignantly.

Jake answers, "They get a long a bit TOO well, if you catch my drift..."

"No? Seriously? Seb?"

Seb was blushing, "It was just a stupid thing... I don't like to talk about it."

"C'mon you can tell me." you wink.

Before Seb could speak for himself, Tom interrupted. "Basically, Seb fancies him and follows him around like a little lapdog. We think Zach knows this and plays him, but Seb won't listen to us. You'll see for yourself soon enough, it's entertaining to say the least."

Anna giggled, "Seb!! You're never meant to fall for the boss, first rule of assisting. Even I know that!"

"You've been awfully quiet about Benedict? Eh? He's pretty." Tom nudged her and winked salaciously.

"Oh my god, Tom! I only just met the guy."

"I was joking, but looks like I hit a nerve there?" Tom was laughing a lot now with Jake and Seb sniggering along with him.

"Boys, boys, boys. You're so silly." Anna said, not believing her own words. There was some truth in what Tom had said, Benedict had something about him, that was for sure. Time would tell exactly what.


	4. Santa Monica.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Boys, boys, boys. You're so silly." Anna said, not believing her own words. There was some truth in what Tom had said, Benedict had something about him, that was for sure. Time would tell exactly what.

Three days had passed since the welcome lunch and Anna had settled into life at the studios surprisingly quickly. She had fallen into a routine of getting up early, wolfing down breakfast and then going to meet Tom and Seb at the trailer they shared. The first scenes were to be shot the next day but until then, the trio of assistants didn't have much to do. Jake on the other hand, was swamped, and had barely seen the others since the lunch. As the director's assistant it was his job to make sure everything was going to go to plan and run smoothly.

"Do you think we'll ever see Jake again?" Anna asked the other two jokingly.

"Not for a while, last time he was run off his feet until filming got into the swing of things," replied Seb, before adding, "He loves it though, I've never met a more passionate guy when it comes to film making."

"Oh really..." Tom had an evil glint in his eye, "I heard Zach can get quite passionate."

"Tom! This is getting sooo old!!" Seb blushed furiously.

"Oooh but I think it has just begun, you wait Anna, you'll see."

"Ughh!" Seb looked defeatedly at Anna, "On that note, I have to go."

"Where you going Sebby?" Tom chided.

Sighing, Seb answered him wearily, "You know full well that I am going to check in on Zach. He was running low on food yesterday so I have to run to the store."

At this, Tom guffawed, "You're such a tool Seb!"

"It's my job Tom. See you guys later."

At that Seb got up from his lawn chair and hot-footed away from the deck that they had been sitting on.

"You tease him too much!" Anna playfully punched Tom on the arm.

"I know, I know. He's such an idiot though, seriously, Chris manages to do his own shopping before filming starts, I imagine Benedict does too, considering you appear to have done nothing these past few days..."

"True, Benedict's been at the beach the last three days and the only thing he asked for was sunblock."

"Exactly!" Tom gesticulated wildly in the air, "The way Seb and Zach bounce off one another, it's so annoying, wait till you see them in action on set. Oh my god... "

"Sexual tension?" Anna winked.

"You know what, I think so! It's ridiculous!"

"You love them both really, I can see it."

Tom made a dismissing noise before grinning, "Everyone here is great, seriously, you have no idea how lucky you are to be working on this as your first movie."

"Trust me I do..." Anna looked down at her feet for she could not believe her luck, everybody seemed so nice.

Breaking her inner thought train, Tom leapt out of his lawn chair, "Alright missy, since this is our last day of freedom, what do you say about coming surfing with me and Chris?"

"Seriously?"

Tom nodded, "We might not get the chance for a while so Chris and I thought why not go today, and I promised you the other day..."

"Count me in!!"

"Alright then, I'll go get the van together, go grab your things and meet me back here in twenty?"

"Sounds perfect." Anna beamed, she had been looking forward to this opportunity since Tom had first mentioned it, little did she know it would come around so soon.

Exactly twenty minutes later, Anna returned to Tom's trailer, now wearing a black crochet bikini and her trusted Daisy dukes. She clutched her gigantic tote bag that contained her beach towel, drinks and a sweater. She jumped as she heard a wolf whistle come from the side of the trailer.

"Daymmmm," Tom was clearly joking but at the same time he could not stop his eyes roaming appreciatively over her body.

"Very funny..." Anna was secretly pleased, she hadn't worked out for a while and had been slightly reluctant to wear a bikini.

"Ooh la la." Chris was now in on the act, having walked up behind her.

"You guys!"

"We're just joshing Anna, but all joking aside, you look so hot." Tom was smiling widely.

"Thanks... I guess."

"Right, so I got the boards on the van, all we need to do is get you hooked up with a wetsuit when we get to the beach, can't go surfing in that!" As he said this, Tom led Anna and Chris to a gleaming bright turquoise Volkswagen Samba Bus parked just behind his trailer.

"WOW!! Tom, is this yours?"

"Yeah, bought her with my first paycheque, me and my brothers fixed her up real good." Tom patted the side of the camper van, clearly pleased that Anna was impressed.

"It's amazing, perfect for surf trips too."

"Hell yeah!" Chris was now also looking at the camper van adoringly.

"So, shall we get on the road then? Weather's perfect by the way!"

"Where are we going?" Anna was curious, she hadn't left the studios since her arrival and was itching to go explore the surrounding areas.

"Little place called Santa Monica, perfect for beginners like you!" Tom opened the door to the camper van, ushering Chris and Anna inside before slipping himself into the driver's seat.

"Isn't Santa Monica famous?" Anna asked, making the two men laugh.

"Yeah, just a bit." said Chris, still chuckling.

The drive to Santa Monica was not too long and time flew by as the three chatted away. Anna was pleased to hear that she was not the only newbie on set, far from it, there were hundreds of new cast and crew members to be working on the sequel that had not worked on the first. Filming sounded tough, with the amount of CGI effects that needed to be added in post production, the actors were often acting on a green screen. Chris said this was a massive challenge but one he relished as it was a rare opportunity to star in a film with such a huge budget.

After spending ten minutes circling round and round Santa Monica trying to find a parking space, they got lucky and managed to park a stone's throw from the beach itself. Unloading the camper van took some time, with all three juggling boards, bags and towels. Finding a spot on the beach was easy, it was relatively empty for such a nice day. They had just about spread their things out on the sand when Chris flopped down in the middle managing to get sand everywhere.

"Ugh Chris, if there's sand in my cooler I will kill you." Tom groaned, throwing the last of the bags down, "Right, I'm gonna take Anna to rent a wetsuit real quick, we'll be back in a tick."

"Cool beans, see ya." Chris stretched out blissfully, guarding the things while the other two headed back up to the shops.

It was a pretty long walk to ZJ Boarding House, a store that rented surf equipment, but once they got there, Anna knew it was worth it. The place was packed full of surf equipment as well as several locals, talking animatedly with the shop owner about surfing. Not ten minutes later, Anna had chosen a wetsuit, paid the man and they made they way back down to the beach.

On arrival back at the beach, Anna squinted her eyes in the harsh sun, regretting the fact that she had left her sunglasses with Chris. Scouring the beach for the spot where they left him, she furrowed her brow a little as she saw Chris had company, company in the shape of Benedict. In swimshorts.


	5. Sunburn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On arrival back at the beach, Anna squinted her eyes in the harsh sun, regretting the fact that she had left her sunglasses with Chris. Scouring the beach for the spot where they left him, she furrowed her brow a little as she saw Chris had company, company in the shape of Benedict. In swimshorts.

"Hey guys!" Anna smiled, trying her best not to notice just how great Benedict looked in his swimshorts, "When did you get here Benedict?"

"I've been here all morning, I got up to go and grab another book from my car when I noticed Chris here."

"Yeah, I said Benedict should come surf with us!" Chris looked excitedly at Anna and winked.

"Have you been surfing before, Benedict?" Anna asked with a strange expression on her face, still confused by Chris's wink. 

"Yes but I'm not very good I'm afraid." replied Benedict, sitting up on the blanket.

"But I was counting on you, my fellow Brit, to be as bad as me!" as she said this, Anna was suddenly aware of her clothing and the effect it had had on Tom and Chris earlier on in the day. She neatly folded her arms, trying to covertly cover her bikini clad breasts.

Benedict chuckled, a deep rumbling laugh, "You haven't seen me yet, I think even a complete novice might have more skill that me..."

"I'm sure you're not that bad!" Anna laughed, all the while self conscious, trying to shuffle to hide behind Tom discreetly. Her efforts were thwarted however, when Tom flopped down on the sand next to Chris, the two starting to chat animatedly about wetsuits. Leaving Anna on her own, she stood there somewhat awkwardly, trying to chat politely with Benedict, all the while, mindful of the bosom situation.

"We'll see," said Benedict, before adding, "Come and sit down, I'm sorry that I must have taken some of your blanket!" He scooted over and patted the vacated spot on the beach blanket, "I don't bite... promise."

Anna was surprised by this gesture, he was her boss after all, but welcomed the opportunity to sit down, it might stop Chris ogling her, for although he was chatting to Tom, she had noticed him sneaking a glance her way every so often.

"So Anna... how do you like Santa Monica?" Benedict turned to face Anna, his gaze meeting hers. Something about Benedict was off-putting, the way he stared into her eyes while talking to her, it was all a little bit too intense, it made her almost forget to answer when he asked her things.

Snapping back into the real world, Anna replied, "Yeah, it seems such a cool place, I've always wanted to try surfing, and where better to start? How about you though, have you been here before?"

"Well, not this exact beach, but I have been trying to make the most of the beaches before we start filming. It's such a beautiful place, I couldn't resist the opportunity to explore."

"Rightly so and from what I've seen of the schedule, you're going to be super busy for the next few weeks, no?"

"So it would seem, the others have warned me that things can get pretty hectic. Luckily they've given me my own assistant to help me keep track of things, I'm just praying she's up to the job... she told me she was new to all this." Benedict grinned away at Anna, obviously hoping to get a reaction.

Playing along, Anna replied, "It's funny, I heard on the grapevine that she was the greatest assistant in the business..."

Benedict laughed, "Whatever happens, we both get to work on a Hollywood movie, that's not something every Brit can say."

"Indeed." Anna looked away from Benedict, taking in the scenery for a bit. She still could not believe her luck, getting to work in a place like this, with people like this. The sounds of the ocean lapping and the Chris and Tom's chit chat filled her ears, the sun's warmth caressed her skin, she felt like she could stay on this beach forever. 

Glancing back towards Benedict, she saw that he was now lying on his back, eyes closed, basking in the sun. He was so pale, the sun almost reflected off his taut, muscular chest. He sure had been hiding an impressive body. Realising that she was being a bit of a pervert, Anna averted her gaze back to the ocean. Unfortunately, her admiration for the scenery around her was short lived, her tranquility being interrupted by a loud snore. 

Looking to the side of her, her suspicions were correct, the guys had fallen asleep, with Tom snoring like a chainsaw. With those three asleep, this was her chance to go and have a swim, she wanted to mentally prepare herself for her surf lesson and not having swam for a while she felt a little bit rusty.

Anna happily swam for what felt like hours, the ocean was cold but one soon acclimatised. As she made her way back to the beach, she shivered slightly, perhaps it the water had been colder than she thought. Making her way back towards the guys, she saw that they were all still sound asleep. Typical.

What she hadn't noticed from a distance was Benedict's glowing pink skin. The English complexion was not designed for such strong sunlight. Anna's mouth gaped open, she didn't know what to do, should she wake him up? She knew that he was under strict orders not to tan, hence his past requests for sun block. She edged around the sleeping men and knelt down to check the time on her phone, gasping when she saw it was midday! She must have swan for at least an hour, leaving the three guys to bake in the hot midday sun. Looking over at Chris, he was slightly pink, nowhere near as bad as Benedict, and Tom was just an even deeper shade of golden brown. Lucky sod. 

Trying to decide what to do, Anna fretted. Fortunately her decision was made for her as she heard Benedict groan, "Is that you Anna?"

"Yes, sorry I went for a swim, didn't want to wake you!" Anna sat down beside him on the blanket.

"How was it?" Benedict gingerly opened his eyes, shielding them from the sunlight with his hand.

"Good... um I don't know how to tell you this, but you are sunburnt as fuck."

"What?" Benedict looked down at his chest, and upon noticing the pinkness, exclaimed loudly, "FUCK!"

"Do you want me to get you some aftersun lotion?" Anna looked on as Benedict winced as he pressed on his chest.

"Don't worry, it's my own stupid fault. I shouldn't have fallen asleep in the sun with my colouring, especially without sunblock. I suppose I'm going to have to just grin and bear it and hope it dies down by tomorrow." Benedict groaned.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get you anything?" Anna looked at him, concern across her face, not sure whether it was her place as an assistant to rectify the situation.

"Nah, it's fine, honestly, I'll get some on the way home, for now I'll just smother myself in sunblock and pray it doesn't get worse."

"Hopefully it will die down." Anna wasn't sure what else to say as Benedict proceeded to rummage around in his bag for his sunblock.

"Ugh, please tell me I brought it with me..." he muttered as he flung various items out onto the blanket. Eventually he found what he was looking for and sat back down, eagerly opening the bottle.

Anna tried her hardest not to stare as he rubbed himself down with sunblock, making sure he didn't miss a spot. Being tactful, she decided the best thing would be to lay back down and close her eyes.

Just as she was starting to relax again, a wolf whistle came out of nowhere.

"Ooooooh, someone's putting on quite the show..." Tom's voice drifted over from the blanket next to them, "Oh my lord, Chris, Chris, Chris! Wake up!! You look like a fucking lobster! Not as bad as Benedict but seriously man, you need to put some sunblock on!"

Raising her head slightly, Anna could see out of the corner of her eye Tom shaking Chris awake while Benedict sat there chuckling.

"What the hell man...." Chris said groggily.

"You look like a fucking lobster!" Tom repeated "Get some sunblock on you man!"

Chris glanced down at his chest, much the same way Benedict had done earlier, "FUCK!" his response was also the same.

"Benedict, pretty please can I borrow some sunblock?" Chris sat up and looked at Benedict with puppy dog eyes.

"Sure, I know what it feels like to be sunburnt." Benedict said glumly.

"Hey Anna, high five for not getting burnt!!" Tom leapt up and ran around towards Anna.

"You're such a tool Tom!" Anna sat up and high fived him anyway, secretly rather smug that she hadn't burned, she had tanned considerably however, a deep brown, not bad at all.

"How are you not burned? I was counting on my fellow Brit to fry in the sun!" Benedict winked at Anna, making her blush.

"Luck I suppose." she smiled, before adding "Now that you're all awake, do you guys want some lunch?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Chris and Tom chanted in unison.

"They are so American..." Benedict murmured in her ear, making her have to stifle a giggle.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Oh no, I love it, just stating a fact."

"It's so true though," Anna whispered as she got up and wandered over to their cooler bag.

"What we got?" Chris appeared right behind her.

"I'm not 100% sure since Tom made lunch, Tom what is in here?" she called out to Tom, who came over and hovered next to Chris.

"Um, Cobb salad, cold pizza and chips."

"Sounds good to me, what kind of pizza?" Anna started to unpack the cooler bringing out neat little pots of salad, a tupperware box full of pizza and bags of crisps.

"Half margherita, half pepperoni. Pepperoni's on the bottom, margherita on top."

"Who wants what? Benedict, you're having lunch with us right?"

"Only if there's enough, I can go up to town and get something. Don't starve or anything because of me!" Benedict was polite as ever.

"Of course there's enough man, I packed so much food!" Tom bounded over and slapped Benedict on the back, his face a picture of shock that made Anna laugh out loud. Perhaps there was truth in the matter when people spoke about the English reserve.

"To answer your earlier question may I please have pepperoni?" Chris was clearly hungry, begging for pizza, Anna sighed, handing him a salad, a bag of crisps and four slices of pepperoni.

"There are drinks in my bag as well, if you want to get them Tom!" Anna dished out the food between them, Pepperoni for Benedict, Margherita for Tom and herself.

"Sweeeet!" Tom brought out the drinks, Dr Pepper and Mountain Dew, chilled from ice packs.

Sitting back down on the blanket next to Benedict, Anna just about managed to catch the can of Dr Pepper that Tom threw in her direction, "Thanks a lot..." she said sarcastically, ducking as a Mountain Dew was flung towards Benedict.

"Thank you Tom." Benedict caught the can in a vice like grip, the polar opposite of Anna's fumbling. His smooth demeanour was not to last however, as both he and Anna were greeted by a soda explosion when they opened their cans of drink. Probably thanks to Tom's throwing.

While Chris and Tom guffawed at the sight, Anna scowled and started trying to wipe herself down with a tissue. Dr Pepper was pretty much the stickiest drink in mankind and the tissue simply made the situation worse. Benedict was having no luck either, Mountain Dew was dripping everywhere.

"Ughhhhh, Tom, why did you have to throw them? It must have shook them up!," Anna glared at Tom, making him look guilty, "Are you alright Benedict?"

"Yeah, it's only lemonade, I might pop down to the sea though to wash off."

"Good idea! Now why didn't I think of that?" Anna blushed, she had been attempting to make do with tissues and bottled water when a whole expanse of ocean was right in front of her.

Benedict smiled, his eyes crinkling, before turning and running towards the sea. Anna quickly followed suit, she didn't want to attract bugs with the sugary drink all over her. Directly in front of her eyes Benedict dove into the waves and on surfacing, shook his hair around as if he were in some kind of shampoo advert, not a sight one got to see everyday at the beach. He was indeed beautiful. Anna waited for him to get out of the way before ducking into the sea herself, trying to get rid of all of the sticky residue.

With that debacle over the two of them finally managed to sit back down and enjoy the delicious lunch Tom had made. Easy chat flowed between the four of them, all expressing their eagerness to get in the water and surf.

"Man, I just want to get in that water, it looks good today, Anna how was it?" Tom was clearly pumped to go surfing.

"Kind of cold to be honest, well, it seems to have warmed up from earlier, but still pretty chilly. You were right about me needing a wetsuit."

"Yeah of course I was! No wonder you were cold in your little dental floss outfit," Tom winked before adding, "Not that any of us mind your little outfit, am I right boys?"

His comments made Chris laugh and Benedict blush, something that didn't go unnoticed by Tom and Anna. Tom gave Anna a knowing look, reassuring her "I am kidding Anna, sorry if I offended you."

"So you're saying you do mind my 'little outfit?'" Anna said, mocking Tom's Californian drawl as she repeated his earlier phrase.

"Not all all..." Tom looked flustered, the others laughing at him.

"So when can we start surfing?" changing the subject, Anna looked over expectantly at Chris.

"I think lunch has gone down enough, what do you reckon guys?"

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Tom and Chris jumped up in unison, clearly revelling in the fact they had someone to teach.

Anna turned back round to Benedict, fear in her eyes, "Is it hard?"

At this Tom and Chris burst out laughing and Anna turned bright red, realising her double entendre all too late, "I meant surfing, is it hard to learn?"

Ignoring the other two's laughter Benedict looked at Anna kindly and said, "No, I think you'll pick it up faster than I did. Don't worry about it Anna, everyone has to start somewhere."


	6. Last Day Of Freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anna turned back round to Benedict, fear in her eyes, "Is it hard?"
> 
> At this Tom and Chris burst out laughing and Anna turned bright red, realising her double entendre all too late, "I meant surfing, is it hard to learn?"
> 
> Ignoring the other two's laughter Benedict looked at Anna kindly and said, "No, I think you'll pick it up faster than I did. Don't worry about it Anna, everyone has to start somewhere."

It had been over an hour since Tom and Chris had attempted to teach Anna the basic surf skill of choosing and catching waves lying on her stomach. Unfortunately she still didn't have the technique and constantly slid off her board and into the water, occasionally shooting glares at Benedict who was surfing alongside Chris, as if he had been doing so for years. Dragging herself up one more time, she decided she'd had enough for the day and made her way back to where they had left their stuff.

After placing her board on the sand beside the blanket and peeling off her wetsuit, she flopped down, exhausted from all that falling off. Learning to surf had been challenging but so much fun. Glancing over towards the sea she could just about make out Tom in the distance, ever the pro. Chris was standing in the surf, chatting to two bikini clad women and Benedict was nowhere to be seen. Anna craned her neck, scouring the horizon, before realising that he was making his way back to join her, surfboard tucked under his arm and wetsuit rolled down to the waist. Not a bad sight at all.

"Hey Anna." he said, placing his surfboard down beside hers, "How did you find it out there? I saw you fall off a few times." He chuckled and sat down beside her on the blanket. 

Sitting up, Anna turned to him "Oh I loved it so so much! But you are no way a beginner, I saw you alongside Chris, you're as good as him, if not better!"

Benedict laughed and replied " To be honest, I've had a few lessons, but I wasn't going to say anything in case I embarrassed myself. Tom's basically a pro surfer, so I wasn't going to admit to him that I can actually surf. Trust me though, next time you come to the beach you'll be better, the first time is always tricky."

Anna was a little taken aback by Benedict's sudden chattiness, so far he had made polite conversation with her but hadn't really said much. "See, I knew you'd be good! I hope you're right about it getting easier, I don't think I can get worse..."

Benedict smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling, "So how do you like it here? In L.A I mean, are you settling in okay?"

"I'm loving it, I still can't believe my luck landing this!"

"Me neither, it's going to be interesting I think. I found it a little odd though that they brought us all out here so early, usually they bring everyone together the day before... not that I'm complaining!"

"Yeah, I wasn't aware that it was weird until Tom mentioned it, apparently they did it for the last one too, I guess they want the cast and crew to meet each other beforehand and have time to settle in."

"Probably..." Benedict gazed into the distance, the ocean stretching as far as the eye could see, "I get the impression that J.J does things differently from other directors, you should see the house they've given me to stay in, it's amazing, usually I get a tiny hotel room and Tom was telling me about the on set trailers, they sound incredible! It seems like everyone's being put up in some great places. Chris's house is ridiculous, all glass, like the house Tony Stark lives in in Iron Man..."

"We're lucky, that's for sure..." Anna wasn't sure what to say, Benedict was definitely a lot more talkative than she first thought. Talkative was good though, it meant no awkward silences. "Whereabouts is the house you're staying in, not far from the studios I guess?"

"Venice, so just down the road from here, and about half an hour from Paramount. I don't know if you saw the schedule but I'm going to have quite a few scenes shooting at Sony Studios too, about ten minutes from here, so all in all, a very well situated place to be staying."

"Yeah I saw that, they're giving me a car so I can drive between sets whenever, it's amazing. So what's Venice like?"

"That's good, don't want my assistant stranded between sets." Benedict winked, "Venice is a really nice bit of town, I'm a few minutes walk from the beach, makes a nice change from London."

"I'll bet it does, what's the house like?"

"Well I expect you'll come over at some point, so you'll see for yourself, but it's essentially a cottage, not what I would expect in California at all. There's a nice garden with a pool and a barbecue so I might have a get together if we have any free weekends."

"Sounds fancy! To be honest even my trailer is pretty grand. I never expected anything like it."

"Do you have enough space though? I have room in my house if you want to leave anything, empty luggage and what not..."

"Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea! I have a couple of suitcases that are taking up the lounge area because I have nowhere else to put them..."

"I speak from experience, trailers are great until you unpack and realise there's no room for suitcases. Next time I'm at Paramount shall I pick them up for you?"

"Um, wow that would be amazing- you do realise that I'm your assistant and it's not the other way round, right?" Anna laughed.

"From tomorrow onwards, you're going to be running errands left right and centre, so while I can I am quite happy to help."

Unsure of what to say, besides a muttered "Thank you..." Anna was saved by the return of Chris. He was not alone however, and had brought over the two women he had been talking to.

"Hey guys, I want you to meet Brandi and Ellen, girls, this is Benedict and Anna."

Benedict and Anna smiled and politely nodded, acknowledging the two women draping themselves over Chris. Benedict turned to Anna and quirked an eyebrow, clearly sharing her thoughts on the matter. The two women were undoubtably very pretty, but in an engineered, plastic surgeon way. Long extensions and breast implants were the name of the game.

"Oh my god! You're Sherlock Holmes!" the woman on the left screeched, pointing excitedly at Benedict. The look of fear in his eyes was evident, but nevertheless he retained his cool.

He laughed and said quietly, "One of many."

"Oh my god, I fucking love you." the woman clearly didn't care that she was making an awkward situation and continued on with her barrage of "Oh my god!"s 

"So Brandi, I didn't know you liked English TV shows?" Chris looked a bit pissed off that she was fawning over Benedict right in front of his face. Fortunately, this seemed to remind Brandi that it was Chris who had brought her over and she went back to batting her eyelashes and flirting with him. Tom had re-joined the group in the meantime and the second woman who Chris was now ignoring was eyeing him up like a piece of meat. Not that he seemed to mind one bit. Chris and Tom were clearly on a mission to charm, and it seemed to be working. Whatever either Chris or Tom said was followed by loud giggling and many, many hair flips.

Benedict leaned closer to Anna to dodge the tail end of Brandi's extensions flicking in his face and said in a low voice, "Do you want to go and get dinner? It's 5 o'clock and I don't know about you but I am starving."

"Sounds good to me, is there anywhere good nearby? I need to stay close so Tom can give me a ride back."

"Yeah there's loads of places, but if you'd prefer I can drive you back? I really want to try In-N-Out burger or Five Guys, people keep going on about them. Although if you don't like fast food, there's tonnes of places in the town, I really don't mind."

"I love a good burger! I've heard good things about In-N-Out, and is Five Guys the one that's in London now?"

"I think so, have you been?"

"Nope, i heard it's nice but expensive."

"Shall we go to In-N-Out then?"

"Yeah let's go for it. All American authenticity and all that shit." Anna smiled, pleased that she and Benedict were getting along. As an assistant there was nothing worse than having a boss who was a complete dick. The two of them having said their goodbyes to Chris and Tom, Anna assuring Tom that she was happy to get a lift from Benedict, they headed off to where Benedict's car was parked. As he'd been at the beach longer, his car was parked a lot nearer than Tom's camper, much to Anna's joy.

"Wow! That's the car they gave you?!" Anna took in the sight of the car Benedict had just unlocked. It was a brand new silver Jaguar XKR, a beautiful car that certainly did not come cheap.

"Yeah, it's not too shabby." Benedict said as he whisked Anna's beach bag away into the boot before opening the passenger door for her.

"Are you sure you don't mind me sitting in here, I'm awfully sandy." Anna patted herself down, trying to rid her legs of sand. Thankfully she had kept her shorts and jumper in her bag all day so there wasn't too much to brush off.

"No of course not, if anything I'm sandier." Benedict brushed himself down before getting into the drivers side.

Anna carried on dusting sand off herself before deeming herself acceptable, sitting down in the passenger seat and marvelling at the plush interior. Cream leather and mahogany finish, this truly was an exquisite car.

The drive to the burger place was short but pleasant with the pair of them still laughing about Brandi and her "Oh my god"s

"She just came on a little strong I think." Anna smirked.

"Just a tad." Benedict laughed as they pulled into the car park, "Would you prefer to go in or drive thru?"

"It's totally up to you, I suppose it's easier to go in."

"Yeah, we won't be long anyway."

Benedict was right, not half an hour later, they dragged themselves back to the car. 

"Your friends were right, In-N-Out is great..." Anna groaned as she opened the passenger door, "I ate far too much though..."

"I wish I could say the same, they've put me on this diet plan that means I have to eat protein, protein and more protein. I could've gone for another burger you know."

"I saw you eyeing up mine, must be pretty sad with all these food places around."

"Definitely! I broke the diet by having pizza at lunch though so if anyone asks, that didn't happen..." Benedict looked her in the eye, "And the burger, I shouldn't have had had the bun."

"Your secret's safe with me." Anna smiled as they set off back to Paramount. The day had been interesting, she felt like she'd got to know Tom, Chris and most importantly Benedict a little more. He was different to how she expected and she felt a little more confident for tomorrow. The first day of filming was going to be intense, a full fourteen hour day was scheduled and if they had to do multiple takes it could last even longer. 


End file.
